I was wondering what is going on with Jiri Drtina. I can't find any stats on him and he was slated as a 2nd rounder last season but was not drafted (either was passed over or did not declare). Does anyone know anything about him?

Here is a scouting report.....

Jiri Drtina is an offensive-minded defenseman. Some people describe him as the fourth forward. It would not be an usual situation for him to suffer from defensive zone gaffes. He is an imposing skater with an extremely fluid stride which helps him reach blazing speed. Drtina adds to this â€œWhen I was among the graders I could easily skate away from anyone who tried to catch me but now there are much better hockey players around me and it is more tougher and challenging.â€ Mostly you recognize him patrolling the blueline with his perfect outlet passes. He possesses a rare talent to find the open man. In his arsenal there is also a hard slap shot and an accurate wrist shot, but he prefers to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. The other skill that make Drtina a top prospect is his dazzling puckhandling which makes him able to slip through defenses as any skilled forward. He is blessed with superb ability to read the play, bright hockey sense and superior vision. The only weakness in his game is the physical part of it, he is not tough enough but it does not mean that he shies away from physical play. This season he was getting used to the OHL style of play and next season he is prepared to make bigger impression and improve not only his results but mainly his style of play and will adjust more to the North American style.

Still there can be something done about his ability to solve the one on one situations . He plays with great poise and confidence, the only thing that makes him angry is his own poor performance. Dtrina is better to be paired with a stay-at-homer, who will take care of his own end once Drtina joins the rush. This agile defender does not posses a hulking frame but he can make up for that thanks to his smart sound positional play. This was spotted in Slavia and later in Soo Greyhounds, Drtina already achieved some success with Slavia midgets when they won the Midget Extraleague title in season 2000-01 and he was one of the key players there. Off the ice Drtina is a kind and modest guy.